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English 102
Quotation Mechanics and MLA Documentation Scavenger Hunt
Purpose:
To learn the mechanics of in-text citations and integrating quotations.
To know where to find this documentation information in your handbooks.
To become familiar with the handbooks and other resources.
Instructions:
Well divide into groups and each will be responsible for finding some of these answers by
exploring the handbook and the MLA book. Each group will record the answer, and also the
page number where the answer was found. Then well share the answers with each other.
1. When is it appropriate to use a quotation from a source in something you are writing?
2. What is a lead-in or a signal phrase?
3. Find a list of lead-in or signal verbs for introducing quotations.

4. What is the difference between a quotation and a paraphrase?

5. What are three different ways to integrate a quotation into your own writing?

6. What is an in-text (or parenthetical) citation?

7. When must the parenthetical citation contain both the author and the page number, and
when need it contain the page number only?

8. With a short quotation, does the period (or whatever punctuation the sentence calls for) go
before or after the in-text citation?
9. Do you need to include in-text citations for paraphrases and summaries as well as for
quotations?

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10. In a title, which words should be capitalized?
11. Should the title of the story were reading, by Benjamin Percy, be underlined, be in
quotation marks, or be in italics?

12. Should the title of the entire Benjamin Percy book that this story is from be underlined, be
in quotation marks, or be in italics?

13. What is an ellipsis mark?

14. Do you ever use an ellipsis mark at the beginning of a quotation?
15. When do you use four dots instead of three in an ellipsis mark?
16. When do you use brackets within a quotation?
17. How do you format long quotations, and how long a quotation counts as a long one?
18. Is a block quotation single- or double-spaced?
19. How far from the left margin is the block quotation spaced? Is this different from a
regular paragraph tab distance?

20. When a quotation is in block format, does the period go before or after the parenthetical
citation?